The Day He Died
by dissolves
Summary: It all happened the day he died. [Oneshot]


_A/N: Another oneshot. This time it's a pairing that I guess you can figure out. It came to mind and I wrote it on a whim. I was going to write it for Fullmetal Alchemist (and I might) but I decided to stick to Naruto for now. Remember to review! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto..._

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The Day He Died 

It all happened the day he died.

She had been standing at her kitchen counter, fixing herself a sandwich for lunch, when a peculiar sensation had run through her. It was a mix between a chill and warm air, something that made no sense to anyone but her. Moments later, a terrible pain gripped her, targeting her heart, tears spilling from her eyes.

It went away and she was left feeling empty, as if she had lost something or forgotten an important event. She left the kitchen, leaving her half finished sandwich on the counter, and entered the living room.

That was when she saw him.

He was standing in her doorway, dressed in his usual formal robes, his dark hair tied back. He was watching her with his cloud-like eyes. They were uncharacteristically soft. He opened his mouth as if to speak but stopped and shook his head.

She made to walk to him. She froze as he graced her with one of his rare smiles, one so sincere and true. She felt that empty sensation again, the sudden urge to cry welling up in her.

He nodded at her before turning round and walking from the room. He disappeared behind the door. She called his name, running after him. She wrenched open the door and scanned the street.

He was gone.

She frowned and went back inside.

She wondered why he had left like that, so abruptly, without speaking. It seemed he had gotten back from his mission well and in one piece. His mission must have been tiring. Two week stay in the Lightening Country watching for suspicious ninja activity. He must have been haunted by memories, as that was the very country where the ninja village that had killed his father lay hidden.

She shrugged it off and decided she would go see him later. She settled down onto her couch and flicked on the TV.

It was about two hours later that she found about that he had died.

His cousin had come running, sobbing, and had choked out the words, "He's gone! He's dead! He died on his way out of the Lightening Country!"

His team had been ambushed. It had been an unfair battle. They had been tired and worn, in no condition to fight. She was told that he had fought until the very end by one surviving team member.

That didn't lessen her pain.

She still doesn't know whether she had imagined him or whether he had come to say good bye. She likes to believe the latter.

The day he died she made a promise:

Never get attached to someone like that again.

She attended his funeral the same day, a rather hurried event, but didn't shed a tear. She stood gazing blankly at his picture, trying to tune out the sobs of the girls that hadn't even known him.

The day he died she stood in front of his grave as the sun set.

She didn't want to be there, yet she wanted to say her good bye. Seeing his name carved on stone made it all the more real. She began speaking to the grave, though strangely it didn't feel awkward. It was as if he was listening.

"I just wanted to say good bye. I'll always cherish the time we spent together. All I regret is that I never got to tell you the truth."

With that said, she turned and left. As she reached the top of the hill overlooking the graveyard, she glanced back and froze. A man was standing by his grave, staring up at her. She could see his smile, even at her distance. He seemed translucent, lit up by the sun. He raised his arm and waved.

It was _him_.

Then he disappeared as the sun fell beyond the horizon.

Her tears spilled. They were all the ones she hadn't cried as he had been buried.

"I love you, Hyuga Neji!" She shouted into the sky. A breeze blew by, ruffling her hair.

The day he died, she declared her love for him.

And she could've sworn she heard an 'I love you too' in return.


End file.
